Pallet racks are one of the basic foundations of good warehouse storage. Selective racking is something that you’ll find in a majority of the warehouses around the world. Some warehouses believe that they can simply put up the storage racks they need, as they need them, and continue to cram them in when additional storage is needed. You might get away with this haphazard treatment of your floor space for a while, but eventually, it’s going to catch up with you. Installing your pallet racks and industrial shelving in your Illinois warehouse without first carefully planning out your design layout and strategy can result in wasting valuable floor space.

Working with an experienced warehouse layout design team such as the one at RMH Systems can help you develop a plan for your storage racks so you ensure you are making the most out of every inch of space that you have. Here are a few ways you can avoid costly errors in the planning and installation of your rack system.

Tips for Maximizing Space With Your Pallet Racks

• Don’t assume that a clean and orderly pattern to your racking is necessary for the best layout. It could actually be an unproductive layout, and you’ll want to consider the entire process happening in your warehouse to ensure you have the layout that works best for your team’s efficiency.
• Avoid layout out your pallet racking across the shorter dimension of your warehouse or distribution center. This can waste up to 5% of your space, which might not seem like a lot until you are running low on room. Layout your rows out along the length of your facility almost always helps you get more efficient storage.
• Don’t create a perimeter of racking around your walls. This creates single-deep racking that’s very inefficient and a waste of space. Sometimes wall storage can be beneficial for secured lockers or other specialized storage, but there may be a more efficient way to lay that out. Walls can be better used for other purposes.
• Your aisles should give you access to pallet racking from both sides. You’ll want to avoid laying out too many aisles against your walls since you’ll only use that aisle to access one row of pallet racking.
• Try to keep all of your pallet shelves going in the same direction. This allows for more efficient movement within the warehouse, whether that’s human or machine labor.
• Allow for enough space in your aisles for traffic to move smoothly under different conditions. You may find that a Narrow Aisle setup is best for your warehouse, but you’ll want to make sure that the aisles still allow for enough space for your equipment and workers to move around without creating a safety hazard.

These are just general rules; what works best for your specific warehouse might be different! That’s why it’s best to work with an experienced warehouse design and layout expert to determine the layout that benefits your warehouse the most. Ignoring these rules, though, could limit your storage potential.

We Can Help Maximize Your Storage Capacity

With all the pitfalls and other problems involved in setting up a rack system, it just might make good sense to get professional help on the matter. For the most economical, efficient and effective rack system layout, contact us and we can help. Give us a call or send us a message through our website and we’ll connect you with a design and layout expert. They’ll start by getting to know your warehouse space, your inventory, and any of the challenges you are currently facing. Then they’ll make sure you get a solution that works for you. Get in touch today to get started!